


The Un-Splendid Angharad

by DoeOfTheWood



Series: Wives' Tales [3]
Category: Mad Max Series (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Basically the Vault is not a good time, Character Study, Forced Pregnancy, Gen, Possible Depression?, Self-Harm, Takes place Pre-Fury Road, Warning: Immortan Joe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-17 20:07:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9341201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoeOfTheWood/pseuds/DoeOfTheWood
Summary: Joe went on and on into his loudspeaker about the prime alpha heir that "his Splendid" was carrying, how he would someday inherit Joe's kingdom and continue his legacy.When Angharad threw up, she knew it had nothing to do with the pregnancy.





	

**Author's Note:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: Contains a scene where Angharad cuts herself. If you don't want to read that kind of thing, please leave now!
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> This one was really hard for me to write because I wanted to handle the self harm right and I wasn't sure how to approach it respectfully. Oh, and also this takes place waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay before Fury Road. Basically, in my headcanon (which is heavily influenced by Tyellas's AMAZING story collection), Angharad's pregnancy in Fury Road was not her first. Kudos and comments are appreciated!

"Well," the Organic Mechanic said as he finished up his checkups of the Wives. One wife in particular, really. "Looks like you have a baby on the way."

Joe was absolutely _beaming_.

And Angharad could not take it.

The next day, Joe went on and on into his loudspeaker about the prime alpha heir that "his Splendid" was carrying, how he would someday inherit Joe's kingdom and continue his legacy, leading his half-life War Boys to Valhalla. All the while, Angharad felt bile rise up at the thought of her son planting anti-seeds and spreading discord wherever he went.

When Angharad threw up, she knew it had nothing to do with the pregnancy.

She was whisked away, back to the Vault where Capable and Miss Giddy and the others were waiting. Capable was the only one who could tell that she was upset. She stroked Angharad's hair and murmured little comforts softly.

Her words did nothing to curb the horror of the miniature warlord growing inside of her.

The rest of the day past slowly, with Capable gently stroking her back and helping her wash when she decided to take a bath in the central pool. Angharad felt like she was in a daze. All she could think of was that she was not "his Splendid." She did not want to be splendid at all; she wanted to be fire and defiance and sharp edges that cut a man if he came too close.

She was sick shortly after dinner and spent most of the evening bent over a bucket in their makeshift bathroom. When she was done, she wiped her nose and looked in the mirror.

Angharad looked at her face with those reddened eyes and nose and she hated it. She hated her high cheekbones and her plump lips. She hated her perfect eyebrows and her petite nose. And she hated her brilliant blue eyes most of all. If she wasn't so beautiful, maybe Joe would've passed her over and she wouldn't be bearing a warlord's child. She could have chosen her own destiny instead of being trapped as breeding stock for some insane, overpowered solider.

She screamed and punched the mirror, pieces of her reflection raining on the bathroom floor. Her hand was covered in tiny bleeding cuts and she found that instead of feeling the sharp bite of pain, she felt the flooding rush of relief.

A few of the larger shards had fallen into the makeshift sink. She thought, _I am not his Splendid_ , as she grabbed one and brought the sharp edge up against her cheek.

* * *

By the time she came back to her and Capable's room, Capable was half asleep. She roused slightly when Angharad entered.

"'re you okay?" Capable asked groggily, reaching for the light. Angharad put her hand on Capable's, stopping her from turning on the light.

"I'm fine, Capable. Go back to sleep."

Capable put her other hand on Angharad's and felt the glass shards embedded in her knuckles. "Ow! What did you do?"

"I said I'm fine," Angharad said through gritted teeth as she withdrew her hand. "Go back to sleep." But it was too late. Capable had pulled the string on their shared lamp. Light flooded the room and illuminating her freshly cut cheek. Blood trickled from the cuts and Angharad instinctively covered her cheek with her bleeding hand.

Capable gasped as tears started to well in her eyes. "Angharad..."

"Girls, I may be an old woman," Miss Giddy called from the hallway leading to their room, "but my hearing is just fine."

Angharad turned to look, dropping her hand.

Miss Giddy sighed. "Angharad." It was the voice of a disappointed parent, a voice that was not wholly unsurprised. She walked into their room and put her hand on Angharad's uninjured cheek. She spoke, full of concern. "Why did you do this?"

"I..." Angharad started, but she didn't even know where to start. Why _did_ she do this? In the moment, she just..."I didn't want to be his Splendid anymore." It was then when she realized that she was crying too, the salty tears stinging the cuts on her cheek.

Miss Giddy sighed again, patting her uninjured hand gently. "I'll get some bandages."

Miss Giddy came back with a Before-Time box emblazoned with a red cross and some spare wife linens that were too small to make anything serviceable out of, but would work just fine for covering Angharad's weeping wounds.

As Miss Giddy stitched up Angharad's cheek, Capable sat next to her on the bed and held Angharad's hand to squeeze when Miss Giddy pulled a particularly tight stitch. The other wives had awoken and were peeking out of their rooms to investigate.

"He does not own me," Angharad said as she saw their bright eyes from the hallway. "He does not own any of us. This body is mine."

"Wordburger: It's fixed. As long as you don't mind more than a few scars," Miss Giddy said as she began to wind the wife linens around her now glass free hand.

"I don't care. It'll remind him that I am not his Splendid."

Once Miss Giddy left and Angharad's hand and face were wrapped in gauze, Capable crawled into bed with Angharad and they fell asleep holding each other.

**Author's Note:**

> The wordburger is from Nalini Singh's Kiss of Snow.
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> Thanks for reading! I have a couple ideas for Dag and Toast, but if you have anything in particular that you'd like to read about them, let me know below and I'll see what I can do.


End file.
